Category / 2 The Sequel

by jdansmall

The Sequel – Day 3

April 10, Friday

43_PeterHealsLame-300x150One afternoon Peter and John were on their way to the Temple for the three o’clock hour of prayer. Included in the crowd was a man who had been lame from birth.  Every day his friends would carry him to a spot near the Beautiful Gate of the Temple so that he could beg from the people as they went in. When he saw Peter and John passing by, he asked them for a donation.

Peter and John looked intently at the man and Peter said, “Look at us!” So he did, hoping to get a gift. “I know you’re expecting us to hand you some money,” Peter said to him, “but we don’t have any. I can give you something, though. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”

Peter took him by the right hand and helped him up. Immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened.  He jumped to his feet, stood there for a moment, and then began walking and even leaping. Unable to contain himself, he accompanied Peter and John into the Temple shouting praises to God.

Everyone could see that this was the same beggar who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate. They were amazed by what had happened to him. While the man clung to Peter and John, a huge crowd gathered around them on Solomon’s Portico.

Peter took advantage of the impromptu meeting and said, “Men of Israel, why are you so surprised at this, and why are you staring at us as though we possess some supernatural power or ability? No, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, is the One Who has healed this man.

“And He did it to call your attention to His servant, Jesus — yes, Jesus, Whom you handed over to Pilate and disowned even while Pilate was anxious to release Him. You, brethren, turned your back on the Holy and Righteous One, preferring instead the murderer, Barabbas. You killed the Prince of life; but God raised Him from the dead, a fact of which we are eye-witnesses.

“It is the name of this same Jesus that has cured this lame man because we believe the Truth about Him. Do you understand? It is our trust in Christ that restored him to perfect health as you can clearly see.

“Brothers, I realize that you had no idea what you were doing any more than did your leaders. But just as God had foretold through all His prophets, the Messiah had to suffer. It has all been fulfilled.

“Now you must repent of your willful rejection and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out and your souls may enjoy rich times of refreshment coming down from the presence of God. Only then will He send back Jesus, your Messiah. For now, He must remain in Heaven until that universal restoration which God promised in ancient times through all His holy prophets.

“Moses, for instance, said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. You’d better listen to what He says because anyone who rejects Him will be destroyed.’ And Moses was only the first of a long line of prophets through whom God foretold the events we’ve just experienced.

“Listen! Don’t squander the incredible advantage you’ve been given: You are the very descendants of those prophets. You are heirs of the original agreement God made with our forefathers when He said to Abraham, ‘In your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.’

“God sent His servant Jesus to you first after He raised Him to life. God is now offering to rescue you from your evil ways.”

While they were still talking to the people, the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and the Sadducees approached them. The Sadducees, who deny the concept of resurrection and life after death, were furious that Jesus’ followers were teaching the masses about His resurrection. So they had them arrested and held in jail until the next morning.

That didn’t stop the people from believing, however. In just a matter of days there were nearly five thousand who had embraced the Message.

by jdansmall

The Sequel – Day 2

April 9, Thursday

pentecostThese prayer gatherings continued day after day. On Sunday morning, the day of Pentecost, they had met at the Temple for prayer when suddenly the place was filled with the sound of a mighty rushing wind from heaven. Then, right before their eyes, a burning tongue-shaped flame of fire settled above the head of each person. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and He caused them to speak in different languages.

It just so happened that devout Jews from around the world were gathered there for the Feast.  Many hurried to the area where this phenomenon was occurring. As they listened, each heard the Message in their own mother tongue.  They were shocked and filled with awe. There were folks from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt and other parts of Africa. In the crowd were Parthians, Medes, and Elamites as well as visitors from Rome, Crete, and Arabia. “Aren’t those guys from Galilee? How is it possible that we are all hearing the same Message about God’s mighty deeds yet in dozens of very different languages?” they asked in astonishment. “What on earth is going on here?”

Some onlookers suggested that the group had gotten drunk and were just blabbering; but Peter stood and spoke so all could hear, “Men of Judea, residents of Jerusalem, hear what I have to say! These men are not drunk.  Why, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. What you are experiencing is nothing less than the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy.

“Hear the Word of the Lord: ‘And it shall be in the last days that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. I will even pour My Spirit on slaves and servants, men and women alike, who also will prophesy.

“‘Heaven and earth will erupt in signs and wonders: blood, fire, and smoke, the sun darkened and the moon turned blood-red. Then the magnificent Day of the Lord will come, and whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be rescued.’

“Now, people of Israel, hear me out! As you well know, Jesus of Nazareth lived among us and, with power given Him by God, performed miracles, signs, and wonders. But you, using the arm of godless Rome, nailed Him to a cross and murdered Him. God knew you would do that; He had it all worked out in advance.

“God raised Him to life, defeating death in the process. David testifies in Psalm 16 that it was impossible for the Lord to be held in the grave: ‘The Lord is always present with Me, even at My right hand, that I may not be shaken; that is why My heart rejoiced, My tongue sang for joy; and My flesh can rest in hope, because You will not leave My soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You lead Me into life; You make Me truly happy in Your presence.’

“Now brethren, we all know that David was not speaking about his own body in these verses. We know where his grave is right here in Jerusalem. So to Whom was he referring?

“The fact is that David was a prophet. He knew that God had promised a descendant of his Who would reign forever, and in this psalm David spoke of the resurrection of that Messiah. It was none other than this Messiah, Jesus, Who was not abandoned in death and Whose body could not decay. Yes, God raised Him up. Every one you see standing here is an eye-witness of that fact!

“Not only is He alive and well, but just as He promised, He has taken the place of honor at the right hand of the Father and poured out His Spirit on us this very day, which is what you are witnessing.

“Hear again the words of David, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’ Now David, as we know, never ascended to Heaven.  He was, again, writing prophetically concerning the Messiah.

“What does all this mean? Listen, nation of Israel! Know beyond the shadow of a doubt that this same Jesus, whom you crucified, is our Messiah and has been declared by God to be Lord of all.”

Peter’s scathing exposé pierced their hearts and they cried out, “Brothers, now what do we do?”

Peter answered, “You must confess what you have done, turn away from your sin, and every one of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then your sins will be forgiven and you, too, will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This incredible promise is available to you and your children — yes, and for all who are far away, for as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself!” Peter spoke at length and explained further, urging them to escape from their perverted generation.

The crowd received the Message with open arms. Some three thousand were baptized and added to the number of Christ-followers that first day. They returned to the temple daily to learn more from the apostles and bonded deeply as they opened their homes to each other, sharing meals and praying together.

Everyone felt a deep sense of awe at what God was doing. In addition to the miracles being performed by the apostles, a new sense of community began to form as those with property or possessions sold them to meet the needs of others. Praising God for their newfound joy, they shared everything in common. These developments caught the attention of many others, and every day the Lord added more people to the ranks of the “saved.”

by jdansmall

The Sequel – Day 1

Don’t STOP now!!  The Story of Jesus isn’t over!
Let’s take the next few weeks to read The Sequel and The Finale!
We’ll wrap it up on Ascension Day (May 14)!

April 8, Wednesday

AscensionDear Theophilus,

I am compelled to offer you this historical supplement to my previous work which provided an orderly record of the life and teachings of Jesus. As you will soon see, His story continues.

After Jesus’ suffering and death He showed Himself to His followers, leaving no doubt in their minds that He had, in fact, risen from the dead. This was no one-time apparition. He appeared many times over the next forty days and discussed with them matters related to the Kingdom of God.

During one of their last meals together, Jesus specifically instructed His disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait until the Holy Spirit came, initiating them into their new life. “Remember My Father’s promise to you,” He told them.  “John used to baptize with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

The disciples, trying to figure out what that meant, asked, “Lord, does that mean You are ready to restore the Kingdom to Israel now?”

“I’ve told you before that only the Father knows when He plans to bring an end to the current era,” Jesus explained. “The purpose for sending the Spirit is to empower you as My chosen witnesses. You will carry My Message from here in Jerusalem throughout Judea and Samaria, and then to the far corners of the earth.”

Jesus had barely finished this commission when He began to ascend up into the clouds. The disciples stood staring up to where He had disappeared from sight. Suddenly someone was standing beside them on the Mount of Olives who asked, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking up into the sky? This very Jesus Who has been taken up from you into Heaven will come back in just the same way as you have seen Him go.” They turned to see two men in dazzling white robes.

What to do now? The eleven disciples, Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas the son of James, returned the half-mile to Jerusalem and gathered in the upper room where they had been staying. Every day they met in the temple together with several of the women who had followed Jesus, and also Jesus’ brothers and his mother Mary. For the next ten days they devoted themselves to waiting on the Lord in prayer.

________________

At one point Peter stood to make a proposal. To the assembled company of one hundred twenty followers he said, “My brothers, we have witnessed the fulfillment of the prophecy of Scripture given through the Holy Spirit by the lips of David. Judas, who was counted as one of us and ministered alongside us, betrayed Jesus that night in the garden when he led the troops there to arrest Him. We know what happened to him: the field bought with his blood money and his own life ending there in disgrace. All of Jerusalem is aware of it and calls the place Akel dama or ‘Field of Blood.’

“The Psalmist also declared, ‘Let his home be abandoned, so that no one lives there,’ and ‘Let someone else fill his position.’ In light of that,” Peter concluded, “we need to choose a successor. It has to be someone who has been alongside us faithfully the whole time, from the day the Lord Jesus was baptized right up to a few days ago when He was taken up from us. The man we choose must also be an eye-witness of the Lord’s resurrection.”

Two of the men present fit those qualifications so they set before them Joseph, who was called Barsabbas by some and Justus by others, and Matthias. Then they prayed, “O Lord, You alone know the hearts of all. Show us which of these You have chosen to fill the role which Judas, the traitor, abandoned in order to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots and it fell to Matthias who from then on was counted among the apostles along with the original Eleven.